Fallen David

At California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), there is a replica of Michelangelo's famous David curiously broken into eight pieces lying on the ground. Although the statue's placement here is very much intentional in the tradition of modern art, it was not always intended to be this way. It started its life as a whole sculpture at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Cypress cemetery. Erected in 1967, it was actually sculpted in Florence from the same Carrara marble that Michelangelo used.

Michelangelo's sculptures, however, are known for being light and delicate with uneven weight distributions. As such, many David replicas have broken over time as cracks gradually formed. Even the original has developed fissures and is at risk of fracturing. That is exactly what happened to the Cypress David when the Whittier Narrows earthquake rocked the area in 1987.

Fortunately, although the statue could not be repaired, it fell onto grass that cushioned the impact. As such, it only broke into eight relatively large pieces. This caught the attention of CSUF art professor Donald Lagerberg. He re-erected the pieces in the same arrangement in which they originally fell. This was meant to invoke ancient statues that have survived as ruins, some of which influenced Michelangelo himself. The spot Lagerberg chose for the pieces ensured that the sun would always provide good lighting.